


Dec 4

by dizzy



Series: Crisscolfer Advent 2015 [4]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 00:44:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5354468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"rival christmas caroling groups"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dec 4

It starts, for real, with Darren shouting, "Merry fucking Christmas to you!" at Chris's back as he walks away. 

It ends with a kiss. 

Somewhere in the middle they sort of fall in love. (Or at least some prelude to it.) 

* 

Darren's been doing this caroling gig since he was in high school. He's good at it. He knows all the songs. Sometimes he takes his guitar for accompaniment, when it isn't too cold to play. 

He knows all the houses that turn their lights off when the carolers hit their street and all the old ladies who like a little bit of conversation with their serenade. He knows who will give them hot cocoa and which teenagers just watch them to swoon at the cute boys with nice voices. 

He thinks he knows what to expect at 526 Sanderson, but when he knocks on the door it definitely isn't Mrs. Jacobs that answers. It's a man, tall and lean with brown hair swooped up nicely. He's wearing a tight green cable knit sweater that looks comfortable. 

He's hot. And maybe Darren belts out the first song with a little more pizzazz than normal. 

When the song is done the man just shrugs and says, "I think the other group is better," and shuts the door. 

But that's not the start, not really. 

*

The real start is a week later. 

Darren's done _research_. He's found out what this other group is. 

He's found out who leads it, a name at least: Chris Colfer. 

And after some facebook stalking he's realized that the ice cold cutie from the week before is, in fact, Chris Colfer. 

*

The fact that there's a second group is fine. 

It's just spreading holiday cheer, right? But Darren's never handled it very well when someone gets attention that he's not. Yeah, maybe the Colfer guy was a dick, but surely if Darren just approaches him he'd be up for combining forces? 

Surely. 

*

"Fuck no," Chris laughs. 

And that's when it really starts. 

He's still laughing while Darren gapes at him. "Why not?!"

"Because," Chris says. "We're better than you. Why would we want to drag ourselves down like that?" 

And then - then it's on. 

*

Darren's not normally the vindictive type, but there's just something about Chris Colfer. 

Maybe it's the fact that he actually is good. Not better than Darren, but just as good in a different way. Or maybe it's because his group has ragtag appeal. Maybe it's because they have the charity donation angle. Maybe it's because Darren really, really wants to fuck him and doesn't think he stands a chance. 

Or, more likely, it's a mix of everything. But no matter the motive Darren finds himself wallowing in holiday-themed pettiness like his aunt does her spiked nog. 

*

It's easy at first. Because Chris has a public facebook group, he jots down all the dates and times Chris's group plans on singing and just... kind of... shows up half an hour before that. 

It works three times before Chris privates the group and changes the dates. 

* 

The neighborhood block party is where Darren always shines most. They're front and center, on a real fucking stage. And, sure, Darren plays on a stage plenty often, it's his fucking job. But there's something about doing it at Christmas when his audience is all excited kids and families and people completely there to boogie down to the hottest hits straight out of the North Pole. For as long as Darren can remember, Christmas has been about the music to him, and it's when he hears the music that he really feels like the holiday is here. 

Which is why he's fucking pissed when he learns that somehow Chris's group has managed to get themselves down not just for a time slot on stage but for the slot right behind Darren's group. 

* 

He sees Chris twice in the afternoon. The first time Chris is too far away to speak, but gives him a sugar-saturated wave that makes Darren seethe. 

The second time Chris is walking past him and calls out, "So nice of you to open for me," as he walks away. 

Darren can't even recover enough to respond. 

*

Annoyingly, no one else in Darren's group even seems to mind. 

"It's because you're a brat," Lauren says, patting him on the head and giving him his hat, the finishing touch on his outfit. "You've always been kind of a brat." 

"I am not a brat!" Darren frowns at his reflection, putting his hat on and checking his hair again. "We're supposed to go on last, we're the fucking stars." 

"If it makes you feel better," she says. "He will never be half the star you think you are." 

"Thanks," Darren says absently, then frowns. "Hey, wait." 

Her laughter lingers as she walks out to where everyone is gathering on stage. 

*

He thinks about leaving out of protest after his group has done their set, but he ends up staying because there's free hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts and motherfucker, Chris is _good_. 

*

Drunken Kar-ol-oake is as much as tradition as the neighborhood festival. 

"Not you," Darren groans when he sees Chris walk in the door. 

He's already pretty drunk. Chris's ass looks amazing in the dark green pants he's wearing. His tailor deserves a kiss for the fit of them. Or maybe his parents both deserve a kiss for contributing to the gene pool that makes up that fantastic body. 

"Aw, not happy to see me?" Chris pleasantly mocks him. 

"I just don't get why you're such a dick to me," Darren complains. 

Chris's smile falters. "I shouldn't have been," he admits. "That first day. It's just, as soon as I came up with the idea of starting my caroling group everyone and their mother told me don't even bother, I should just join yours. But I looked you up online, and... it's pretty obvious you only hire gorgeous people with actual singing backgrounds. I fit neither qualification, so... I guess I just kind of made you out to be the bad guy in my mind before we ever met." 

Darren's jaw is metaphorically on the floor. His wallet actually is on the floor and hopefully he'll notice that before he leaves, but right now all his focus is on Chris. "Are you fucking with me? You're - you're _gorgeous_. I'd have let you in my group, totally." 

"And all my friends?" Chris asks, motioning behind him. "Them, too?" 

"Probably not," Darren says, because - drunk. "I mean, I'm sure they're great and all, but we don't need that many new people. But you could totally join!" 

Chris rolls his eyes. "You know what? Never mind. I'm not sure why I thought talking to you was a good idea." 

*

Sobered up and hungover, Darren realizes that Chris is still kind of a dick but maybe Darren is too and maybe, he thinks as he stares blearily at the contents of his fridge and wonders if he actually is going to end up hurling, they might balance out somehow. 

*

Two days after Christmas, Darren knocks on Chris's door. 

"What are you doing here?" Chris narrows his eyes in suspicion. 

Darren opens his mouth and starts to sing Jingle Bells at the top of his lungs. 

"Oh my God. Shut up, it's eight am!" Chris's eyes go wide and alarmed and he tries to slap a hand over Darren's mouth. 

Darren squirms out of the way and keeps singing. Line after line, verse after verse, until suddenly it's muffled because Chris's lips are on his and he stops singing completely, immediately. 

"I just did that to shut up you," Chris says after twenty seconds, their mouths still jammed together. 

Darren laughs and kisses him again, a little peck. "Go out with me?" 

"I don't do dates, I do relationships," Chris says. 

"Have a relationship with me?" Darren is undaunted. He's also turned on like fuck, so that helps. 

"We don't even know each other." 

"That's what the dates are for." 

"You understand what I mean by relationships, right? Exclusivity." 

"Done," Darren says. It's not a huge sacrifice; he hasn't gotten much action lately anyway. And the idea of knowing he has Chris locked into something... it's probably more exciting than it should be. 

"Why would I be in a relationship with you anyway, when I know it would have an expiration date?" Chris asks suddenly. 

"Huh?" 

"You really think we'll make it through _next_ Christmas without killing each other?" Chris teases, but his body is still close and his arms are loose around Darren's neck. 

"Asshole," Darren says fondly, and pulls him in again.


End file.
